Credit card billfold and multi-pocket liner therefor

ABSTRACT

A billfold or wallet for carrying a plurality of credit cards or the like in readily accessible position so that the user can immediately see and withdraw the particular card desired. A plastic, multi-purpose liner is formed and which has a smooth backside that forms one wall of an envelope-like opening. This smooth wall of the plastic liner permits other objects to be stored without any obstruction to inserting or removing the objects.

[ Dec. 24, 1974 United States Patent [191 Dengel 1 CREDIT CARD BILLFOLD AND MULTI-POCKET LINER THEREFOR 5/1972 Fenster 3/1973 Croon........................... 150/39 [75] Inventor: Jan Peter Dengel, West Bend, Wis.

[73] Assignee: Amity Leather Products Company,

West Bend, Wis. Primary Examiner-Herbert F. Ross Apr. 2, 1973 Attorney, Agent, or Firm-James E. Nilles [22] Filed:

[57] ABSTRACT A billfold or wallet for carrying a plurality of credit cards or the like in readily accessible position so that [21] Appl. No.: 347,200

the user can immediately see and withdraw the particular card desired. A plastic, multi-purpose liner is formed and which has a smooth backside that forms one wall of an envelope-like opening. This smooth wall of the plastic liner permits other objects to be c0 mu S W B m ,2

u 1 0 51 mmmu MM W 4 In "c .r Una nue "Us L hem l .M Umm HUM 555 [rnzl References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS stored without any obstruction to inserting or removl,683,996 Snow 2,452,096 Butalotto..... 2,531,606 11/1950 Boughton'......,..............,....

S e r u g. i F g n i w a f. D 5 s m i h BmB I l/Ill Ill ll vet PATENTEU nan 71974 SHEET 1' 0F FIG. 5

CREDIT CARD BILLFOLD AND MULTI-POCKET LINER THEREFOR BACKGROUND lets were very time consumming to assemble and secure together, for example, one prior art type utilized separate pockets either of fabric or of plastic in which pockets were individually assembled in respect to one another and were then hand pasted. Such prior art wallets not only were extremely costly to manufacture, for example, taking approximately 111 minutes to do so, but furthermore, the backside of the individually stacked pockets presented a series of loose edges that interfered with the storage of other flat objects behind the pockets and in an envelope-like opening in the wallet. This shortcoming had to be overcome by a separate backing piece pasted and/or sewed over the loose loops, which resulted in additional cost and bulk.

Generally, these prior art multi-card wallets would not lend themselves to efficient manufacturing and were otherwise unsatisfactory for the above reasons and were of considerable bulk.

SUMMARY The present invention provides a billfold, wallet or the like for carrying a plurality of cards such as credit cards, in shingled and partially exposed relationship to one another whereby the user can readily select and withdraw the desired card. More specifically, the invention provides a billfold of the above type and which billfold has a pair of flexible walls which are sewn together to form an envelope-like opening; one of the walls has a plurality of slits cut therein and arranged in parallelism and spaced from one another; these slits are adapted to receive individual credit cards arranged in overlapping relationship with one another; a plastic multi-pocket liner is provided in the opening and behind the slitted wall and provides an individual plastic pocket in registry with each of the slits. The inner pockets are all welded to and formed partially by a single layer or back member of plastic material to which the individual pocket members are welded as by heat sealing therewith. The resulting structure is a billfold having an envelope-like opening, .one side of which is formed internally by the smooth one piece back member of the plastic liner, and consequently, other flat objects can be stored in the envelope without being obstructed, in their removal or insertion, by loose edges of individual pockets.

These and other objectives and advantages of the present invention will appear hereinafter as disclosure proceeds.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a billfold embodying the present invention, the view being taken generally from the inside of the wallet;

FIG 2 is a sectional view taken generally along the line 2-2 in FIG. 1, but on an enlarged scale and being exaggerated somewhat in that the individual pockets are pulled outwardly to show the construction;

FIG. 3 is a front view of a multi-pocket plastic liner made in accordance with the present invention and as employed in the wallet of FIGS. 1 and 2;

FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along the line 44 in FIG. 3, and

FIG. 5 is a schematic view of the plastic liner in exploded position and before the back member and individual pocket members have been heat sealed together.

DESCRIPTION OF PRESENT EMBODIMENT The invention has been shown as embodied in a wallet or billfold B which is made generally from leather for example, and comprises an outside wall 1 lined with fabric 2, an inner flexible wall 3 which may be formed of fabric and another flexible wall 4, also formed of leather. It will be noted that the usual edging and stitching 5 is provided around the periphery. More specifically, the edging binds the wall 1 and its lining 2 together and also binds together the two flexible walls 3 and 4.

The flexible walls 3 and 4 are secured together by the binding around the upper side 6, the vertical side 7 and the lower side 8, thus presenting an envelope-like opening 10 along its other vertical side, and more specifically, between the walls 3 and 4. It is in this opening that flat objects such as various papers, etc.. can be stored.

The flexible wall 4 has a series of slits ll, l2, 13, 14 and 15 formed therein and arranged in parallelism'with one another, and also being spaced a vertical distance apart, generally in the nature of one-half inch. It is in these slits that credit cards or the like can be inserted at least partially so as to extend therefrom and be readily found when in overlapping and shingled relationship with one another.

I-Ieretofore, in order to hold the cards properly within the slits, a series of individual pockets were formed on the inside of wall 4, that is to say within the envelopelike opening 10. These individual pockets were heretofore difficult to make up, assemble and fasten together,

this being a time consuming task to assemble what is referred to as a book of pockets. Furthermore, such prior art device presented numerous loose edges within the envelope-like opening 10 which interfered with the insertion, storage and removal of flat objects in the envelope 10.

In accordance with the present invention, a one piece, plastic multi-pocket liner is formed of heat sealable plastic, such as a 0.0042 inch thick matte finish polyvinyl. This one piece plastic liner L is comprised of a back member 20 of generally rectangular shape and having a front side 21, two opposite vertical sides 22 and 23 and a backside 24 (FIG. 5). This back member constitutes a single layer back for the plastic liner L. The liner also includes, in the illustration shown for purposes of describing the invention, four pocket members 30, 31, 32 and 33 which are also each formed of the polyvinyl plastic material. Each of these pocket members is of generally rectangular shape and has an upper edge 30a, 31a, 32a and 33a, respectively. Likewise, its pocket members have a lower edge and opposite vertical side edges. As shown in FIG. 5, pocket members 30 and 32 are of the same height, while members 31 and 33 are of a different and slightly greater height.

The pocket members are arranged or laid together in a stacked relationship and against the front side 21 of the back member 20. The members are all then heat sealed together, for example, along their vertical edges by means of the heat seal lines 38 and 39 and also along the bottom edges of the pocket members, namely, heat sea] lines 42, 43, 44 and 45. i

The upper edges of the pocket members are arranged in overlapping and shingledrelationship and the upper edges of the pocket members are furthermore secured as by cementing to the front wall 4 and along their respective slits, as at 50, 51, 52 and 53.

The result of the above construction is a series of single edge pockets arranged in shingled relationship for the reception of cards in overlapped and readily accessible relationship.

The pocket liner itself is secured along its upper and lower edges and along its one vertical edge, between the flexible walls 3 and 4, as being cemented and stitched therebetween and within edging 5. The side 24 of the back wall 21 provides a smooth interior surface of the envelope pocket and which facilitates insertion or removal of flat objects stored therein.

The multi-pocket billfold provided by the present invention is economically produced, compact in construction and perfectly suitable for functions for which it is designed.

I claim:

1. A multi-card wallet having a pair of flexible walls secured together to form an envelope-like opening therein and into which flat objects may be stored, one of said walls having a plurality of parallel and spaced apart slits cut therein, a generally rectangular and flat plastic pocket liner in said envelope-like opening and secured on three of its edges between said flexible walls, said pocket liner comprising; a back member of heat sealable plastic, a plurality of heat sealable plastic pocket members stacked against said back member, said pocket members and back member being heat sealed together to form a series of upwardly opening pockets, the top edge of said pocket members being in alignment with their respective slits in said one of said walls and cemented therealong to said wall to form a of said walls having a plurality of slits cut therein, said slits being parallel to and spaced apart from one another for the reception of cards at least partially therein, and a generally rectangular and flat plastic pocket liner in said envelope-like opening and secured on three of its sides between said flexible walls, said pocket liner comprising; a single layer back member of heat sealable plastic and being of generally rectangular shape and having a front side, a rear side and two opposite edges, a plurality of single layer heat sealable plastic pocket members of generally rectangular shape and each having an upper edge, a lower edge, and opposite vertical edges, said pocket members being stacked in overlapping and shingled relationship along their said upper edges and laying against said front side of said back member, said pocket members and back member being heat sealed together along the said lower edges of said pocket members to thereby form a series of upwardly opening pockets, said top edge'of said pocket members being in alignment with their respective slits in said one of said walls and cemented therealong to said wall to form a series of single edge pockets arranged in shingled relationship for the reception of cards in selectively and readily accessible relationship, said rectangular shaped pocket liner being secured along three of its edges between said flexible walls of said billfold, the fourth edge of said liner being secured to said one flexible wall and along said envelope-like opening, whereby said single layer back member forms a smooth surface within said envelope-like opening for the unobstructed storage of said flat objects therein. 

1. A multi-card wallet having a pair of flexible walls secured together to form an envelope-like opening therein and into which flat objects may be stored, one of said walls having a plurality of parallel and spaced apart slits cut therein, a generally rectangular and flat plastic pocket liner in said envelope-like opening and secured on three of its edges between said flexible walls, said pocket liner comprising; a back member of heat sealable plastic, a plurality of heat sealable plastic pocket members stacked against said back member, said pocket members and back member being heat sealed together to form a series of upwardly opening pockets, the top edge of said pocket members being in alignment with their respective slits in said one of said walls and cemented therealong to said wall to form a series of single edge pockets arranged in shingled relationship for the reception of cards, said pocket liner being secured along three of its edges between said flexible walls of said wallet, whereby said back member presents a smooth surface within said envelopelike opening.
 2. A billfold or the like for carrying a plurality of cards in shingled and partially exposed relationship to one another, said billfold having a pair of flexible walls secured together to form an envelope-like opening therein and into which flat objects may be stored, one of said walls having a plurality of slits cut therein, said slits being parallel to and spaced apart from one another for the reception of cards at least partially therein, and a generally rectangular and flat plastic pocket liner in said envelope-like opening and secured on three of its sides between said flexible walls, said pocket liner comprising; a single layer back member of heat sealable plastic and being of generally rectangular shape and having a front side, a rear side and two opposite edges, a plurality of single layer heat sealable plastic pocket members of generally rectangular shape and each having an upper edge, a lower edge, and opposite vertical edges, said pocket members being stacked in overlapping and shingled relationship along their said upper edges and laying against said front side of said back member, said pocket members and back member being heat sealed together along the said lower edges of said pocket members to thereby form a series of upwardly opening pockets, said top edge of said pocket members being in alignment with their respective slits in said one of said walls and cemented therealong to said wall to form a series of single edge pockets arranged in shingled relationship for the reception of cards in selectively and readily accessible relationship, said rectangular shaped pocket liner being secured along three of its edges between said flexible walls of said billfold, the fourth edge of said liner being secured to said one flexible wall and along said envelope-like opening, whereby said single layer back member forms a smooth surface within said envelope-like opening for the unobstructed storage of said flat objects therein. 